Cemetery lot curbing



Dec. 5, 1950 F. s. WALKER 2,532,524

CEMETERY LOT CURBING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1948 IN VEN TOR. fiancis S. Walker.

Dec. 5, 1950 F. s. WALKER 2,532,524

CEMETERY LOT CURBING Filed July 9, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 INVENTOR. Fra nCiS S,- Walker.

Akbar-meg Patented Dec. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE CEMETERY LOT CURBING Francis S. Walker, Temple, Tex.

Application July 9, 1948, Serial No. 37,882

1 Claim.

This invention relates to connecting an assembly of precast structural parts in a simple and expeditious manner, and more particularly, to an improved curbing for cemetery lots.

It is sometimes preferred to have a cemetery plot marked off or enclosed by low walls in the nature of curbing. Heretofore, curbing or markers of this type have been made of stone laid according to a prearranged plan or outline. Likewise, they have been made of concrete, requiring the use of molds which must be transported to and from the site of installation, and which are objectionable not only from the standpoint of labor cost and equipment that must be used,

but because, in addition, the concrete must be mixed and transported to the site with attendant expense and delay.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide novel precast curbing sections and connecting units which may be readily precast in appropriate standardized forms entirely removed from the place of installation, and then readily transported to the site and assembled thereon in a convenient and expeditious manner. In other words, the invention contemplates the making of precast curbing sections and hollow connecting units at a yard or manufacturing plant, so that after completion, these may be transported to the final site, after being laid out in prearranged form or design, the curbing sections may be readily and permanently united with the connecting units by simply pouring a cementitious mixture therein to anchor and look all the adjacent ends of the parts together.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a connecting unit having the capacity to act as a permanent form and also look the curbing sections together, said unit being of generally hollow formation and having openings to receive the ends of the curbing sections, and also having a cap adapted to be placed in position to cover the opening where the plastic cementitious material is placed in the unit at the site.

With the above and other objects in View which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an assembled I 2 curbing structure, omitting the caps for the connecting units.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the manner of assembling the curbing sections and the connecting Figure 3 is a detail perspective View of a completed corner of the construction shown in Figures i and 2.

Figure 4. is a vertical sectional view taken on 1 the line 44 of Figure '1.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

As will be seen from the drawings, the curbing sections are designated generally as A and the con-necting units are designated generally as B.

The curbing sections A are preferably precast concrete or the like, including reinforcing bars 1 whose ends project beyond the extremities of the sections and are preferably curved or otherwise dei'ormed to function as anchors or hooks 2. :It will be apparent that the curbing sections A may be of any appropriate length and of any desired cross sectional shape or design.

The connecting units 13 are preferably hollow and include a top wall 3 having a central opening 4, and the side walls 5 and 5a, the former being closed and the latter being provided with the openings 6 to receive the end portions of the curbing sections A and their anchors 2, as will be clearly apparent from Figures 1 and 4.

The connecting units B preferably include a cap C having on its underside depending anchor members 1 preferably deformed into hooklike shape and adapted for insertion in the opening 4 of the top wall 3.

Assuming that the curbing sections A, the connecting units B, and caps 1 are all precast in a makers shop or yard, it will now be seen that they may be transported to the site of installation and laid out according to prearranged plan so that the curbing sections A-A with their projecting anchor elements 2 are fitted into each opening 6 in the side walls 5a of the unit B, as shown, for example, in Figure 4. Aside from the precast parts A, B and C, the installation crew only has to carry a batch of plastic cementitious material, and, after the ends of adjacent curbing sections are fitted in a connecting unit, the cementitious material M is poured into the hollow unit B through the opening 4 in the top wall 3 thereof.

As will be seen from Figure 4, this cementitious mixture fills the chamber formed by the hollow unit B and incases and embeds the anchors 2 of the curbing sections therein. The cementitious material M is also filled into the opening 4 to the level of the top of the surface 3 so that when the cap C, having the anchoring elements l thereon is placed in position on top of the wall 3, the said anchoring elements Ti will also be embedded in the cementitious material M. Upon the latter hardening or setting, it will be understood that the curbing sections A as well as the cap C are interlocked with the unit B by the cementitious material so that when the latter sets or hardens,

a monolithic core is formed within the hollow unit 7 B thereby to hold all the parts in permanently assembled relation.

In connection with the connecting units B, it will be observed that they have been shown in the nature of corner units wherein two angularly related walls are provided with openings to telescopically receive the ends of related curbing sections. However, it will of course be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to use connecting units having a plurality of faces provided with openings, and which faces may have any desired angular relation diiierent from that shown on the drawings. For example, instead of two right angularly related faces or walls being provided with curbing receiving orienings, opposite walls may be provided with openings B to receive curbing sections laid in linear relation instead of angular relation.

The essence of the invention resides in the provision of a hollow connecting unit for telescopically receiving the end or ends of curbing sections with said unit acting as a permanent mold or form for a cementitious filling which interlocks the curbing with the unit, and also looks the anchoring means on the cap to the unit, so that the cap is likewise permanently connected with the assembly at the time that the installation is made.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention enables all of the parts of a plot curbing to be precast in standard forms at a convenient place of manufacture, leaving only a minimum amount of work to be done at the site of installation, thus materially reducing labor and transportation costs. At the same time, when the installation is complete, it is substantial, and enduring as if it were completely erected at the site.

I claim:

A curbing structure for marking the boundry of cemetery lots and the like, comprising, in combination, a plurality of precast connecting units, each unit including top and side Walls defining a chamber opening at the bottom of the unit, the top wall having an opening communicating with said chamber and certain of said side walls having angular openings extending through the bottom edge of the unit, elongated precast curbing sections of angular cross section and each having anchoring elements projecting from the end portions thereof, said end portions inwardly of said anchoring elements fitted in the openings of the side walls for a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said side walls having said openings to hold the curbing sections against lateral twisting relative to the corner units, and the anchoring elements extending into said chamber, a cap fitted to each top wall of each connecting unit, each cap having anchoring elements projecting from the bottom thereof and entering the opening in said top wall, and a settable cementitious filling with" in said chamber embedding the anchoring elements of the curbing sections and the cap and securing the curbing sections and caps to the connecting units to provide a monolithic structure.

FRANCIS S. WALKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 910,950 Noll Jan. 26, 1909 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,225 Australia of 1929 25,115 Australia of 1935 77,333 Switzerland of 1918 

